Ligue 1 transfers driven by relegation fears rather than title hopes

As the January transfer window drifted to its close, the narrative across France was one of survival, rather than improvement. The most active clubs in Ligue 1 were those who are trying to stay in the division, rather than those jockeying for a place in the Champions League. None of the clubs occupying the European places made significant additions, leaving the heavy lifting to those hoping to avoid the drop, with St-Étienne, Bordeaux and Troyes all notably active.

With the league title seemingly sewn up but uncertainty lingering over their form in Europe, to say nothing of their Coupe de France exit on Monday against Nice, PSG looked likely to be active in the market. There were plenty of mooted exits, from Georginio Wijnaldum to Colin Dagba, but in the end they were only able to see off Rafinha and Sergio Rico, both on loan. Moves for Tanguy Ndombele and Ousmane Dembélé did not materialise, leaving Mauricio Pochettino with the same conundrum he faced before January: a bloated squad that, despite its obvious gifts, will probably fall short in Europe once again.

In the battle for the top three, Marseille – who knocked Lyon out of the Coupe de France on Tuesday night – made some minor improvements, signing Cédric Bakambu and former Arsenal left-back Sead Kolasinac. Both players fill holes in the squad – Bakambu has already looked a sharper option than the woefully underperforming Arkadiusz Milik, while Kolasinac is likely to be second choice behind Luan Peres.

Nice signed Jordan Amavi from Marseille on loan. He will provide stiff competition for Melvin Bard at left-back following the departure of Hassane Kamara. Billal Brahimi, who has arrived from Angers, is an intriguing prospect who could push the team’s summer